Speak2Tweet

Speak2Tweet

By Kelsey Judd, Intern

Things just got a little tech savvier for people in countries like China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran where it’s hard to give and receive information due to restricted Internet access. After the Egyptian government cut off the country’s Internet access, the companies Google, Twitter, and SayNow (Google’s newly acquired social-media-voice company) found a way to help the people by creating speak2tweet. It’s a cool new service that allows people to call a phone number with a message that is later posted to Twitter. The alternative service is not restricted to the normal limit of 140 characters. Egyptian protestors used this as a tool to express their outrage and bring to light injustice.

This is revolutionary because it allows people to tweet without the Internet; all they need is a voice connection. Now the person holding a megaphone can reach the world, not just their local audience. The power of one voice can have a strong impact. Already there are over 10,000 followers on speak2tweet’s page. This is a great example of how social media has provided a positive global impact. Hopefully soon we’ll see countries with limited access to the Web, sharing their thoughts to all of the Twitterverse.